Welcome to the I Stand With Planned Parenthood Virtual Phone Bank!

By making these calls, you’re doing the most powerful thing you can to stop the Senate from “defunding” Planned Parenthood and stripping 32 million people’s access to health care.

RIGHT NOW the Senate is trying to push the worst Trumpcare bill yet — it blocks women from going to Planned Parenthood for preventive care, and goes even further to cut millions off from insurance and access to basic care, including birth control, cancer screenings, and maternity care. They’re trying to sneak this bill through by the end of September and we HAVE to stop them.

We need your help to make calls to Planned Parenthood supporters and urge as many people as possible to call their senators and tell them to vote no on this disastrous bill!

What’s in this guide?

How to Use the Phone Banking Tool
How to Make Calls
Common Questions You’ll Get from Supporters
Phone Banking FAQs for You

New to phone banking? Not a computer whiz? No problem. You’ll need your own phone and a computer with an internet connection. We make the rest easy -- and you fill in the people power. If you have any questions at all, please email defenders@ppfa.org and we’ll respond.

How to Use the Phone Banking Tool

1. Make sure your phone and computer are all charged up.

2. Open our phone bank tool by clicking here: https://www.openvpb.com/vpb_bycode/D1F432H-6871 

3. That should bring you to a page that looks like this. Click on “Log In with ActionID” -- even if you don’t yet know what that means or have an ID. We’ll get there soon.

4. Now you’ll see the following box:
   

Don’t try to log in -- you don’t have a login yet! Instead, click on “Create ActionID.” (If this is your second or third time phone banking here, you DO have a login, and you can go straight to logging in.)

5. Create a log-in. Enter your information and click “Create.” Be sure to follow the password instructions.

6. On the next screen, click “No Thanks, Continue.”

7. That’s all! You are now all set-up to start making calls. You can dismiss the “Welcome” box by clicking the “X” in its top right corner.

How to Make Calls

1. You’ll see a couple things on the screen:

1. On the top left is the name of the first Planned Parenthood supporter you’ll be calling.
2. On the top right is that person’s phone number.

2. Take a minute to familiarize yourself with the script. Then, using your own phone, dial the number on the top right.
   
3. Were you able to contact this person? Be sure to mark “yes” if they answered and “no” if you couldn’t get ahold of the person.

4. Mark “no” if the person isn’t home, it’s a wrong number, or you leave a message on their answering machine using the script on your screen.

5. Mark “yes” if the person answers. Then run through the script naturally, reading the script but also making sure you’re leaving space for natural conversation.
   
6. When you ask the person if they will call their senator, you will have to mark the appropriate response in the drop-down menu half-way through the script. (You will have to click on the bar with arrows to make the menu appear.)

7. After you mark the appropriate response and thank the person for their time, you’re done with your call! Hang up your phone, and click “Save/Next” and call the next person.

You will NOT be able to click “Save/Next” until you’ve selected one of the options about whether the person will call their senator. The button will turn from grey to blue when you’ve selected a response, and that’s how you’ll know you can move to the next call.

8. That’s all! Keep making calls if you can -- the more calls we drive the better chances we’ll have of defeating this thing!

NOTE: If at any point it asks for a VPB Code, type in the following code: D1F432H-6871

Answers to Common Questions You’ll Get from Supporters

Do you think we can still stop the bill?

Yes! That’s exactly why we’re calling. Right now, it looks like there are enough Senators on the fence that we could get enough “no” votes to stop the bill. It needs 51 votes to pass. The best way to make sure that those swing votes become “no” votes is by calling your Senator right now.

If someone is hostile, openly anti-Planned Parenthood, or wants to argue about politics:

We don’t anticipate this will happen often, but we want to equip you to handle it just in case it does. Thank the person for their time and hang up. The vote could happen any day -- we don’t want to spend our time convincing people we’re right. Instead, move on to the next call and talk to someone who’s with us!

If someone wants your opinion on a particular political figure (Trump, Clinton, any others) or a different issue:

That’s not what we’re calling to talk about. The critical issue right now is stopping the Senate bill to “defund” Planned Parenthood, regardless of your political stripes. Try not to get sucked into a conversation about something else -- and if someone presses you, you can say you’re not authorized to speak for Planned Parenthood about any other candidates or issues.

Phone Banking FAQs for You

Why are we phone banking?

Because we know it works. Swing Senators are under immense pressure from powerful interests to vote the wrong way on this bill. The only thing that’s going to stop them is pressure from the people who voted them in -- and who could vote them out. That’s why it’s critical we elevate the voices of Planned Parenthood supporters in these swing Senators’ states -- so they know they can’t get away with taking away our access to care. And what’s the most effective way to get folks to call their Senators? A personal conversation. That’s why we’re picking up the phones.

I keep getting a lot of answering machines. / Someone told me they didn’t want to make a call.

Don’t worry -- that’s how phone banking often goes! It’s a lot of missed calls and a fair amount of nos. If you get two people to say yes to calling in an hour, you’re right on track. If you get even more people, great! If it’s less, well, you’ll be joining the thousands of experienced phone bankers who’ve moved monumental votes and sometimes have a slow hour. But we know phone banking is still a very effective tactic -- with hundreds of people dialing, we’re still getting hundreds of calls into Senators.

Can I get a paper list of names and numbers to call instead?

We get it -- online phone banking can take a little getting used to, or maybe you’re a veteran campaigner or volunteer who’s made calls from with a paper list all your life. Unfortunately, privacy and technical constraints prohibit us from offering printable lists this time around. But if you’re having any trouble with the online phone banking tool, take another look at the instructions above -- they’re very thorough. Still running into bumps? Email defenders@ppfa.org  and we’ll help you troubleshoot.

What if I’m not comfortable using my own phone or someone calls me back?

If you’re comfortable with it, set your voicemail greeting to say you're phone banking with PP, so if folks with missed calls call you back, they'll know that's what the call was about. Over the course of an hour, you'll probably only talk to 5 to 15 people, most of whom don't call back, so it's unlikely you'll get many calls.

Someone was just curt with me on the phone or hung up on me.

We don’t anticipate this will happen often, since we’re calling PP supporters. But if it has happened -- we’re sorry, and we feel you! Calling folks you don’t know can feel a little rough sometimes. But their behavior is not about how well you’re doing, and it’s not about PP. You might have caught someone at a bad time, and it doesn’t mean you messed up.

We’ve got your back. If you want a little pick-me-up, go on to the next caller and talk to a supporter! You can also email defenders@ppfa.org if you need to report something inappropriate.

Someone asked to be removed from the list.

Select NO for ‘Were you able to contact this person?’ and select Do Not Call

Are we leaving voice messages?

Yes! You can use this script to leave a message:

Hi, I'm a volunteer with Planned Parenthood. Politicians in Washington DC are pushing hard for another vote to repeal the ACA. This bill would have a devastating impact here in West Virginia and across the country. We need you to tell Senator Capito that you’re a part of the overwhelming majority that OPPOSES Obamacare repeal. Call her at 202-804-8210. Thanks, have a great day!